Author
Topic: Headphone Thread. (Read 1037185 times)

FWIW, I think the KSC35s are equal to or better than the Alessandro MS-1s. I'm pretty sure the Alessandros are the exact same as Grado SR-80. If I remember correctly, the PortaPros use the same drivers as the KSC35s.

My knowledge is fuzzy after so many years of being a speaker convert. YOU SHOULD ALL CONVERT NO EXCUSES!

With headphones you don't need a room for listening to music... and its cheaper. Of course I would like to buy some, but later in life when I can afford a nice setup.

Good to see that there are people around here that actually care about sound quality.

Personally, I have Sennheiser HD590 headphones hooked into a Little Dot I+ hybrid headphone amp. Occasionally I will use a surprisingly decent pair of JVC HA-RX700 headphones with the amp if I want to drown out a little bit of the outside world.

Right now the audio source is an Entech Number Cruncher 205.2 DAC hooked up to a nettop with my CD collection stored in FLAC format.

On further inspection of the meier audio page, it looks like the Concerto is no longer available and will be replaced with the Corda Classic in September. I can't find any info about it, but I may message Jan and ask.

Eh, unless you're in a dorm or some shared bedroom then I don't see the issue. I use Amphion Helium2s on a desktop and it's amazing. There are much smaller monitors too that would work well.

Disclosure: I think speakers are inherently better than headphones and the gap is widened even further by the used prices on speakers. I think people forget about nearfield setups.

With my limited experience with a nice speaker setup, I feel that high end headphone systems can be quite nice when compared to equivalent, sometimes more expensive, tower speakers. Though this is only coming from me listening to a couple setups in Audio Alternative in Atlanta.

The Vandersteen VII rig was by far the most realistic sounding peach of audio equipment I've ever heard. And again, I think the entire setup was around 100,000 USD. I also listened to a pair of planar magnetic speakers (around 10k for the pair) and was not immediately impressed. I feel my LCD-2's gave them a run for their money at a fraction of the cost.

On further inspection of the meier audio page, it looks like the Concerto is no longer available and will be replaced with the Corda Classic in September. I can't find any info about it, but I may message Jan and ask.

Good isolation, so I can use them when recording. Deep bass, so I know what's at the low end of my mixes. Excellent detail for editing and getting the settings just right when mastering and mixing. A jack of all trades - outstanding value for audio hobbyists.

I use an E-MU 0404 USB for editing and production work, and an E-MU Tracker Pre for recording. They work well and the converters are the best available for the money. They're the no frills high quality solution.

As for the monitors vs headphones debate...

To some degree it's a matter of personal preference, though I don't entirely agree with that viewpoint. Headphones can offer a level of detail that is not obtainable through monitors. Also, headphones can offer a wider frequency range for the money, by far. For the money, in the $100 headphone vs $100 monitors category, headphones win. Hands down. Really the competition isn't even remotely close.

That said, mastering and mixing on headphones is a bad idea. It's too hard to get the levels right. Headphones have so much detail that some parts that are perfectly audible over headphones completely disappear into the mix over monitors.

Also, speakers are better for casual listening, movies and such. Wearing headphones is a chore sometimes.

Also, speakers are better for casual listening, movies and such. Wearing headphones is a chore sometimes.

This is my only problem with headphone listening. Sometimes I don't really feel like something on my head for an extended period of time, especially when I'm wearing glasses. And headphone listening completely takes away the possibility of walking around and doing other things while listening.

So what i found is that my ears can get a little sweaty after about 6 hours of useage which imo is ok - this is the first headset I have had that doesnt hurt the top of my ears. Siberiav2 is my best buy so far, they rock!

i managed to get my iems new for $80 and the reshell is only about $125 at most depending on how much impressions cost me. I dont really like having regular headphones on and i dont NEED to shell out alot for anything super high quality atm because these sound quite nice to me.

I'm content with my AD700s, but I still wonder how much better it can possibly get.

Unfortunately, the answer is an expensive one...when I can afford it, I'm entering the exotic world of electrostatics. Seems like they're the way to go for soundstage and imaging, though the other aspects of sound quality aren't hurt either. (Just don't expect bass slam.)

Seems like certain vintage Stax earspeaker models can be had for under $200, but that's only part of the equation when it comes to electrostatics. They need amplification, and the amplifiers themselves (specific to electrostatics, I might add) can be crazy expensive as well, sometimes more than the earspeakers themselves. There are cheaper transformers like the SRD-6/7, but those require speaker-level output from a speaker amplifier (which I fortunately have access to in the form of a couple of old receivers).

This thread makes me sad. I just put my DT 770 Pro 80 on eBay today. Loved them, though I have to say they aren't as comfortable to me as may others have said. I used to have some Sony headphones with a suspension type thing on the top of my head that was SUPER comfortable. But I lost them and don't remember what they were. :-/

This thread makes me sad. I just put my DT 770 Pro 80 on eBay today. Loved them, though I have to say they aren't as comfortable to me as may others have said. I used to have some Sony headphones with a suspension type thing on the top of my head that was SUPER comfortable. But I lost them and don't remember what they were. :-/

They were either the Sony MDR-F1 or SA range i.e. SA3000, SA5000. I had the MDR-F1 and it was the most comfortable headphone i've owned. On another note re Dt770 pro's I agree they aren't as comfortable as people make out due largely imho to the high clamping force in used in the pro range. I got around this by extending the clamps as far as possible and using J Money lambskin ear pads (dealing with him directly was a pain though, and not recommended). The ear pads are thick enough to keep it on my noggin. Either way I very much dislike the sound from the dt770, it's boomy with little control in bass, lack of midrange and ear piercing highs.

Clamping force will reduce over time just by wearing them. Yea, when I got my DT880 Pro's fresh out of the box, they weren't nearly as comfortable as the old Sennheisers. By now, the force is about the same, though the Senns are still the comfort winners. I love the heavy, coiled cables of the Pro line and the 'built like a tank' anodized alu frame though.

Eh, unless you're in a dorm or some shared bedroom then I don't see the [need for a listening room].

Room acoustics have a big effect on sound quality. For a certain value of "big", that is. You can spend as much money as you like on speakers but if the room is wrong and you're unwilling to tweak it, then Mr Physics he say "Turn that racket off!" Of course that doesn't mean a tweaked room has to be only for listening to music. And some rooms will need little to no tweaking.

Quote

I use Amphion Helium2s on a desktop and it's amazing. There are much smaller monitors too that would work well.

Disclosure: I think speakers are inherently better than headphones and the gap is widened even further by the used prices on speakers.

IEMs made junk of this reasoning quite a few years ago. In so far as "Inherently better" was ever reasoning. Which was always very little as you don't give any reasons! And anyway "better" is extremely subjective - it may include requirements like isolation and portability. At a given level of quality, speakers cost twice (or more - much more!) than conventional headphones, and conventional headphones twice as much as IEMs. (Well, arguably - it depends how much you believe in the existence of and importance of "sound stage" effects.) Plus they're easy to drive without distortion, so you can forget an amp if your source has a decent built-in one.

For instance I can't bother to pay good money on speakers for either my desk or living room. The desk is on a balcony/loft, speakers are placed such that the back is against open air. Also, I can place the sub vent pointed at the carpeted floor or at the side of my desk. The living room is what the loft looks over, it has a vaulted ceiling at ~45° angle with a 22ft peak, also open onto the dining room under the loft. One speaker is corner placed and the other backs onto yet more open air where the stairs to the front door/basement are.

Amazing bass amplification/concentration of the living room speakers if I'm sitting at my desk and there's no sound-stage whatsoever no matter where you go.

This is why I'm looking into better headphones than I have rather than a new set of speakers. I did learn however that the speakers I have had for the last 15 years are amazing not only to my own ears, but others as well... Clements di-108's, I was rather pleased to find out I had chosen wisely when I was a kid.

i'm getting a bluetooth adapter for my computeri have a jawbone BT earpiece that i use for work/personal all day, ppl say it's the best BT i've used and sounds great.Gonna try to pair this up with computer and see how it works with dragon(dictate)

I'm content with my AD700s, but I still wonder how much better it can possibly get.

Unfortunately, the answer is an expensive one...when I can afford it, I'm entering the exotic world of electrostatics. Seems like they're the way to go for soundstage and imaging, though the other aspects of sound quality aren't hurt either. (Just don't expect bass slam.)

Seems like certain vintage Stax earspeaker models can be had for under $200, but that's only part of the equation when it comes to electrostatics. They need amplification, and the amplifiers themselves (specific to electrostatics, I might add) can be crazy expensive as well, sometimes more than the earspeakers themselves. There are cheaper transformers like the SRD-6/7, but those require speaker-level output from a speaker amplifier (which I fortunately have access to in the form of a couple of old receivers).

Does anyone here have experience with that stuff?

Next step up from the AD700s is probably the AKG K701s. However, unlike the AD700s, the K701s are very demanding in terms of driving power - you will need an amplifier that costs as much as the headphones themselves to get the best out of them.

Next step up from the AD700s is probably the AKG K701s. However, unlike the AD700s, the K701s are very demanding in terms of driving power - you will need an amplifier that costs as much as the headphones themselves to get the best out of them.

Let me guess-the one in my new-to-me X-Fi Forte isn't going to cut it. (This is an amp where I have to drive all my current headphones at either 5% or 6% volume! 4% and below might as well be 0%, mute. 7% and up is too loud to be comfortable.) But amplifiers aren't really for the volume so much as making sure the drivers get the current (dynamic drivers, anyway) they need to function to their fullest, right?

I'm also hearing recommendations for the Ultrasone Pro 900s in terms of gaming with HRTFs, though those probably need a good amp too.

Those are still dynamics, though...but if the X-Fi Forte dynamic headphone amp is enough, it'll save a considerable bit of expense (and desk space for an old receiver to feed a cheap SRD-series energizer if going the Stax route).

I use modded senn hd 555's but now am looking to increase the sound quality.

Was looking at a e7 and a nuforce DAC. Are these good choices? I don't want to go overboard, but I need to get away from onboard.

In terms of real improvements you're probably better off with a low-end pro audio soundcard. The Nuforce is a bit of a joke and while the Fiio is fine (and useful if you want to amp portably) it's not a drastic improvement on many onboards nowadays, if at all.

I don't need portability, I was told that what I need most is an amp. Also I like to use both my speakers and headphones simultaneously (typically playing sound from 2 different things at once) so a DAC seemed like a good buy.

I don't need portability, I was told that what I need most is an amp. Also I like to use both my speakers and headphones simultaneously (typically playing sound from 2 different things at once) so a DAC seemed like a good buy.

Well - it's really about what you like best, both in terms of how you go with peer opinion and what you think is a nice audio toy. Let's face it, a lot of this audio thing can come down to how cool the amp /device looks.

The absolute truth is that if your onboard isn't total dreck (and most recent ones fall into that category) it'll drive most headphones perfectly well to perfectly decent quality - enough that you'd have to spend several hundred (even on a non-BS-imbued piece of equipment) to get quantifiably better.

e.g. all the onboards that I have generally around me will drive a Beyerdynamic T1 - a 600-ohm (albeit very efficient) phone - or an Ultrasone Edition 8 - a lower-impedance phone with efficiency a bit on the low side which many on forums like Head-Fi will say in a blanket manner that it needs "amping" :suspicious: - to decent quantifiable quality and relatively ear-bleeding volumes. In fact, many $10 'fleabay specials' USB interfaces based around e.g. the Cirrus codecs are also capable of doing the same. And if an Ed8 works, an HD555 should be zero problem for those decent onboards, although I will admit it's not a headphone I've owned.

If you want signal routing flexibility and decent quality and having an onboard battery is not a necessity, I'd say a relatively low-end pro audio interface is a better bet. Not only there's less BS in the level of sound quality you'll get, the better ones have software / hardware control of signal routing - so you can route only to headphones, to monitors, etc. Take a look at something like a Focusrite Saffire 6 USB. There's a highly Google-ranked review on Head-Fi about it which just points out everything that's wrong with the community but it's a solid, decent-quality interface which has good signal flexibility for the price/IOs. I use RME Babyfaces in what would be a similar role but it may be a bit rich if you're considering the Fiio/Nuforce.

Yeah I've come to understand that my onboard is actually pretty good, and since I'm no audiophile that I really shouldn't need to upgrade. My problem is some games I like having the audio come through the speakers while having ventrilo through my headset. Other games I want both in headset. Right now I'm using a crappy creative USB dac that is starting to fail on me requiring replacement. I've also been looking at getting new speakers as well, which shouldn't NEED a dedicated sound card, but a dac to keep my current setup of game-through-speaker vent-trough-headphone pretty happy. That's there the fiio's came into play... Although I've been debating this decision of what to buy or what to upgrade for about 4 months now, cause I have no real direction. Do I get new speakers, like corsair or klipch promedia, do I get a headphone amp dac. Computer audio is something I just don't know enough about so I've been beating around the bush forever trying to decide, and time is running out before I HAVE to make some purchase and I really don't want it to be some impulse buy.

They ought to make soundwhoring in games really easy, let alone what they'll do for music, but now I'll have to keep an old receiver parked on my desk just to feed the SRD-7 (needs speaker-level input) until I have the money for a dedicated amp and not a mere transformer box.

I still havent made a purchase, still not sure if I want all sound going through headphones or not. That fiio headphone amp is getting more tempting everyday. It feels like a waste dedicating my sennheisers mostly for ventrilo, but games like wow (need sound for pvp) I don't think I could tolerate coming through headphones.

BF3 will be the real test.

Edit: maybe I'll just bite the bullet and get a new set of phones. Not sure what's a good upgrade from modded hd555s, especially still using onboard.

They ought to make soundwhoring in games really easy, let alone what they'll do for music, but now I'll have to keep an old receiver parked on my desk just to feed the SRD-7 (needs speaker-level input) until I have the money for a dedicated amp and not a mere transformer box.

High fidelity isn't necessarily game-worthy. My G35 does a better job in that regard than any high-end phone I own/ed. I also own the Beyer MMX300's but I use them primarily for Skype duties, preferring the Logitechs for gaming.

Quote from: Boyiee;407475

I still havent made a purchase, still not sure if I want all sound going through headphones or not. That fiio headphone amp is getting more tempting everyday. It feels like a waste dedicating my sennheisers mostly for ventrilo, but games like wow (need sound for pvp) I don't think I could tolerate coming through headphones.

BF3 will be the real test.

Edit: maybe I'll just bite the bullet and get a new set of phones. Not sure what's a good upgrade from modded hd555s, especially still using onboard.

Clearly depends on what it's going to be used for in terms of percentage of time, whether open/closed and budget.

Can sell the 555s probably for a few bucks, I got a decent budget if its worth it. I game mostly and listen to music 2nd. Games I play are FPS and wow. Currently using open and like it, haven't used closed in a long time. No preference really.

I want to upgrade somewhere, just not sure where. Amp? Well these headphones wont benefit much from that. So new phones? Well I'd probably want to get away from onboard if I do that.